-The Extinguished Sun-
by XxXWeAsHumanXxX
Summary: After the war, Naruto is diagnosed with a terminal illness. It'll take all his willpower to stay strong for the people around him... Sometimes, he can't help but loose hope. ***This is a re-post of my story on WattPad***
1. Prologue

_XxXWeAsHumanXxX: Okay! Some this I need to discuss before we get this party started!_

 _1) Thank you for reading!_

 _2) This is my first time posting on this site, so I'm not used to this format! Please bear with me._

 _3) This story is also up on Wattpad! If you don't know already, it's a website/app similar to this site, but not as awesome._

 _4) I have a puppy named CoCo (boy), that's super cute and adorable. ((He's evil))_

* * *

 _"If you don't like your destiny, don't except it. Instead have the courage to change it the way you want to be!"_

Sometimes, destiny is unavoidable...

 _"I never give up. I never go back on my word. That is my way of the ninja!"_

Sometimes even the strongest can't help but give up...

 _"Until I reach my dream, I refuse to die!"_

Sometimes, death is unavoidable...

 _"I don't care who I have to fight... If he rips my arms off, I'll kick him to death. If he rips my legs off, I'll bite him to death. If he rips my head off, I'll stare him to death. If he gouges my eyes out, I'll curse him to death..."_

Sometimes, it's not something you can fight...

After the war, Naruto is diagnosed with a terminal illness. It'll take all his willpower just to stay strong for the people around him...

Sometimes, he can't help but loose hope.

* * *

XxXWeAsHumanXxX: I do not own Naruto, nor do I own the cover photo. Thanks for reading! :33 Enjoy!

 **Warning: Profuckingfanities. XD**


	2. Chapter 0

_XxXWeAsHumanXxX: Hello! In case you didn't see this in the Prologue, I do NOT own Naruto. Thanks for reading!_

 _I had to re-type everything. That's why I'm taking so long... (I'm slow at typing...)_

* * *

Naruto's POV:

I stared at the ceiling, the white walls, the tiled floor... I was still numb.

* * *

 _Flashback:_

 _Tsunade walked inside my white walled room with a grim expression on her pale face. Sakura trailed behind sluggishly, tears brimming and some trailing down her cheeks onto the tiled floor. Tsunade bit her lip and let out a heavy sigh._

 _"Hey Granny, Sakura-chan!" Sakura's green eyes looked at me briefly before she collapsed onto the tiled floor with one hand over her mouth to stifle her heavy sobs._

 _I jumped up from the stiff mattress and knelt besides Sakura._

 _"What's wrong? Did the Bastard reject you again?" Sakura glareed at me sharply before furiously shaking her head._

 _"Naruto." I looked up at Tsunade. Her brown eyes glistened with brimming tears. "Your results came in." The pink-haired ninja stiffened. "You... You have acquired a terminal illness, Naruto." I furrowed my brows._

 _"What's a ter-terninial illness?" Sakura's sobs became louder and I patted her shoulder in a soothing manner._

 _"A terminal illness is... an incurable disease that leads-" She hesitated and a few tears cascaded down her cheeks._

 _"To death." I froze. Sakura pulled me into a suffocating embrace, that under normal circumstances, would of made me jump for joy... But now..._

 _I just feel sick._

 _I patted Sakura's back while Tsunade left the room, wiping her tears with a handkerchief a nurse had given her._

 _"It's okay Sakura-chan." She shoved me away._

 _"What do you mean, 'It's okay'?! Nothings okay! You're going... You're going to die."_

 _I pulled her into a hug again and comforted her until a nurse escorted her from the room. A second nurse entered shortly after with a clip board in tow._

 _Her dark hair was held in a tight bun and her muddy brown eyes were behind her thick rimmed glasses._

 _"Naruto-san, it's almost time for dinner. Please lay down and I'll be back shortly." She swiftly exited the room, silently closing the door behind her.._

 _Flashblack END_

* * *

The nurse returned shortly after with a packet and food tray balanced in her hands.

She placed the tray of food on my bedside table and handed me the packet. It explained when I was going to take my medication, and some dietary restrictions. The nurse bowed politely and left the room.

I set the papers aside and took a bite of my sandwich.

* * *

A few hours later, a different nurse opened the door.

"You have visitors." He motioned for them to enter, and then excused himself.

My guests was one disheveled grey haired man, and one cocky, duck haired teen.

I forced a bright smile onto my chapped lips.

"Hey Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke-teme." Sasuke had a deeper frown then usual, and he hasn't insulted me yet. Kakashi paced the room and ran his hand through his hair.

Sasuke trained his dark eyes on me.

"Is it true?" My smile dropped and I looked at my clenched fists in my lap.

"Yeah, but I'll be up and running in no time! We'll go on missions again, and we'll eat ramen and spare, and-" Sasuke's hand covered my mouth.

"You don't seem to understand dobe."

"Sasuke, stop!" Sasuke ignored Kakashi and continued.

"You're dying. You can't go on missions, you can't spare, and you can't... You can't become Hokage." I gritted my teeth before shooting up off the bed, gripped his collar, and slammed him into the wall besides the door.

"Shut the hell up!" My voice cracked and sounded weak. "What do you know?! You-!" I retracted my hands from the bastards collar, coughed into my palms, and collapsed onto the tiled floor.

I lifted my hand from my mouth and gazed blearily and the crimson fluid that dripped to the floor between my fingers. Tears welled up in my eyes and I swallowed a lump in my throat.

A doctor burst into the room and practically kicked Sasuke and Kakashi out of my room. She knelt besides my shaking form and assisted me to the restroom to... Wash up.

* * *

The moon shone high in the night sky as I rose from the bed. I made my way towards the window and pried it open as quiet as I could. Applying chakra to the bottom of my feet, I scaled down the side of the hospital. By the time I had reached the bottom, I was panting heavily.

I rested a moment before I continued.

The streets were practically deserted. The street lights flickered overhead, and an occasional bystander walked past. I past the Ichiraku Noodle Shop and reminisced momentarily before I trudged on, lagging slightly from fatigue.

At my destination, three wooden poles stood in a field and trees surrounded the clearing. The KIA stone stood proudly a few feet away from where I was standing. I paused next to it and ran the tips of my fingers over my parent's names.

Turning away from the stone, I approached the center of the field and formed some hand signs for the shadow clone jutsu. A cloud of smoke appeared and one lousy clone stood besides me before it deflated.

I collapse to the ground in exhaustion and coughed into my hands. After wiping the blood off the sides of my mouth, effectively smearing it, I rubbed my palms on my black pants.

My breath was still ragged from exhaustion, so I rested on the grass.

An ant crawled on the tip of my finger before scurrying away. I rose from the green grass and made my way back to the hospital.

* * *

 _XxXWeAsHumanXxX: Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! Ehhhhhh... I'm sleepy..._


	3. Chapter 1

_XxXWeAsHumanXxX: Guten Tag! I don't own Naruto. Thanks for reading! :33_

 _I found a way to copy and paste it! Yatta!_

 ** _Please, tell me if you see any mistakes so I can change it!_**

* * *

Cockkashit-I mean Kakashi's POV:

In my apartment, my 'Make out Paradise' book sat untouched on my bed stand. I couldn't read right now. Hell, I could barely think right now. This has to be some cruel joke that Naruto pulled. I already lost Rin and Obito, and I'm going to loose Naruto too. Naruto, who reminds me so much of Obito.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in." The door opened and Guy walked in on crutches. His smile was wide, a little too wide, like it was forced. He made his way toward me, avoiding all the trash on the floor and other hazardous obstacles. I sighed and put my head in my hands. "What is it Guy?"

"Can't I check on my number one rival?" I eyed him suspiciously and he fidgeted under my stare. His smiling face turned solemn. "How's Naruto?" My stomach dropped and I turned away from him.

"He has a terminal illness." I heard one of his crutches drop and I twisted my neck to face him.

Guy was collapsed in one of my chairs. His face was pale and his bushy brows were furrowed.

"Your joking..." I shook my head. he put his head in his hands. "He's so young... Do you know how he contracted it?"

"No, I was planning to see Tsunade-sama tomorrow." Neither of us spoke for a while. The silence was painfully quiet.

"I'll be going..." I didn't respond. Guy hobbled out the door and softly shut it behind him.

* * *

Tsunade's POV:

There was a knock at the door and Shizune popped her head in.

"Hatake-San is here to see you." I took a swig of my sake.

"Let him in." Shizune opened the door wider and let him in before shutting the door on her way out.

Kakashi had bags under his eyes and his grey hair was ratted. "What is it Kakashi?" My voice was slurred slightly.

"How... how did Naruto contract it?" I sagged in my hair and rubbed my temples,

"That's the thing, I don't know... I've never seen anything like it before." He looked angered and he took a small step forward with his fists clenched.

"How do you not know?! Your suppose to be the best medical nin around!" I stood up angrily and slammed my hands on my desk.

"Shut the hell up!" I dropped back into my chair. "I've done the best I can do... It pisses me off that I can't figure it out." I placed my head in my hands.

The door opened.

"Tsunade-sama. Your presence is requested

in the conference room." I stood up and downed the rest if my sake.

Kakashi formed hand signs and disappeared from the office as Shizune and I exited.

* * *

Naruto's POV:

The hospital is too quiet. I'm used to all the ruckus from neighboring people in other apartments to lull me to sleep.

Sakura visits every day when she thinks I'm sleeping and drops off new sunflowers. I flicked one of the yellow petals making it flutter to the ground at an agonizing slow pace.

Growling, I shoved the vase roughly off the dresser. It clattered to the ground and shards of glass scattered over the tiled floor.

A nurse with blue hair and green eyes burst into the room with wide eyes.

"Naruto-san!" She looked at the shattered glass and sighed. "I'm going to call the cleaning crew. don't move a muscle."

She sped out of the room and returned shortly with a portly man behind her. The man knelt to the ground and swept up he shards of glass as well as the bright petals.

The nurse sat on the edge of my bed. Her blue hair was wrapped neatly on the top of her head in a tight bun. The janitor left the room and closed the door behind himself.

"Naruto-san... You remind me a lot of my younger brother." I turned to look at her with a curious gaze. "My brother was two years younger than you when he contracted a terminal illness."

Her hands clenched and her shoulders shook slightly. "He died a little over three years ago. When he died, I decided to become a doctor so I could help people like him." Her green tear filled eyes met my blue eyes. "But... It seems like I'm still unable to so anything, but watch as patients slowly die..."

She wiped her eyes and stood. "Sorry, I shouldn't say such things." She shuffled out of the room.

Sakura came by later with three vibrant sunflowers and an apple in her possession. Her green eyes met my wide blue ones. She placed them on the bed stand at sat on the chair besides me.

Sakura took a knife and began to slowly peel the apple.

"Sakura..." I sat up an extended my palm. "Here, I'll do it." She looked up and before giving me the apple and knife. She sighed and tucked a strand of her pink hair behind her ear. I peeled the green skin off the apple for a while before she finally spoke.

"Naruto..." She fisted her red skirt. "Did Sasuke come by earlier?" I stopped peeling the apple and almost face-palmed.

"Yeah, he did. Why?" She hesitated and then gave me an awkward smile.

"I was just curious, that's all." I started peeling the apple again. Sakura suddenly stood up and I sliced my thumb. "Ah! S-sorry Naruto!"

She placed her hands over my thumb and green chakra healed the cut on my finger. "There. "

She walked over to the window and pulled it open. The wind brushed over me making me shiver.

"Sakura-san, visiting hours are over." Sakura turned and bowed to the nurse.

"Of course. I'll be out in a second." The nurse turned to leave but paused at the door.

"Naruto-san." I turned to look at her. "I'll be back with your prescription." The nurse left and shut the door soundlessly behind her. Sakura fiddled with the hem of her shirt.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow..." I nodded.

"See you then." The pink haired ninja left without another word, and the open window left me shivering. I shakily stood on my legs and hobbled over to the window.

My clammy fingers fiddled with the latch to the window and shut it. I rubbed my arms quickly in an attempt to warn them as a brown haired man entered the room.

"Hello Naruto-san. My names Satou, I'll be dealing with your medication from now on." I shuffled over to me bed and gently sat.

Satou pulled a needle out of his medical bag and rubbed some disinfectant on my forearm. "This'll only sting for a second. " He inserted the needle and quickly applied a bandage.

Afterwards, the doctor soundlessly left the room.

* * *

The bowl of oatmeal steamed on my beside table.

"I wish I had some ramen..." I looked at it sourly.

"Naruto, you have to eat it, to build up your strength." Shikamaru sighed and moved the black pawn a space forward. "It's unhealthy, and your not allowed to eat ramen."

"I don't see why not," I jutted my bottom lip out in a pouting manner. "I'm dying anyways." Shikamaru's shoulders stiffened and he rubbed his temples.

"Naruto, ramen has 2,858 mg of sodium, and consuming too much sodium can increase a person's risk of heart failure, osteoporosis, stroke, high blood pressure, and heart disease."

"Fine, fine I get it. I still don't see why I can't eat it though." I looked at the chess board and moved my horse. The pineapple-haired nin took down my white horse with his bishop.

Outside my hospital window, which is locked so pink haired ninjas don't open it, the rain drizzled at a light pace and the wind blew the branches of the tree lightly against my window.

After a one-sided chess match, Shikamaru checkmated me with little casualties in his part.

"I swear, your cheating!" Shikamaru rolled his eyes and bit into an apple that was in a fruit basket besides my bed. A hawk pecked against the window.

"This is such a drag..." He stood and pulled on his vest.

"The Hokage's summoning me. See you, Naruto." I gave him a lazy wave and a small smile, which was slightly turned into a grimace from a sudden sharp pain in my chest.

"I'll be here... Tell Tsunade-baa-chan I said hi." He nodded and closed the white door behind him.

The chess board rested on a foldable table besides me with my white king toppled over.

After Satou finished my injections, a green haired nurse came into the room with a wheel chair in tow.

"Hello, Naruto. How are you feeling?" I opened my blue eyes and looked at her with an annoyed expression on my face.

At the moment, my chest was throbbing in a painful manner.

"Fine..." She gave me a wide, if slightly forced, smile as she rolled her chair closer.

"Well, I thought since your birthday is in two days, I could roll you outside a bit." I looked at my thin legs that could barely hold my weight anymore. I've only been in the hospital for a month and some days now, yet my legs are practically all bone.

"Okay..."

She assisted me into the wheel-chair, clipped some of my medical equipment to the chair, and places a heavy quilt over my shoulders.

When we finally checked out, the scent of rain and dirt filled my nose. The rain had stopped, but the dirt was still moist and the leaves where still dripping. The hospital always smelled of disinfectant, and looking at the same four white walls for weeks was starting to irritate me.

Sakura was approaching the hospital entrance with two vibrant sunflowers in her possession when she spotted the nurse and I.

"Hello Hana-san." I assumed that was the name of the nurse.

"Oh, Sakura! I haven't seen you for some time, how are you?"

"I'm good, are you walking Naruto?" I gritted my teeth, but kept my expression neutral. She was talking as if I was being walked like a dog...

"Yeah, since his birthday is in two days and all." Sakura looked shocked.

"Really? That soon?"

"So Sakura?" I cut into their conversation. "What brings you here?" The pink haired ninja seemed to suddenly remember my presence.

"Oh!" She gestured towards the two sunflowers in her possession. "I was about to stop by your room, but your already out." She trained her green eyes on the nurse. "Do you mind if I walk him around?"

"Of course not!" Sakura handed her the flowers.

"And can you take these to his room?"

"No problem. It was nice seeing you again, Sakura." Hana walked back into the hospital and Sakura replaced her behind the wheel chair.

After a few moments of silence, Sakura spoke.

"How are you feeling?" An irritated expression crossed my face. I'm sick of people asking me this god damn question. My chest ached and I clutched my shirt.

"I'm fine." The passing tree's branches swayed in the wind and sprinkled me with water. I shivered slightly and pulled the quilt closer to me.

"Have..."

"Hmm?" I turned my head to face her. Her forehead was scrunched and she was frowning slightly. Sakura met my quizzical blue eyes.

"Have you seen Sasuke-kun recently?" She timidly put her head down.

"Sasuke? No, no I haven't... Why?" She looked away at anything and everything else.

"Nothing important." She stopped the wheelchair near a pond. The water gently waved with the wind and the area surrounding the pond was thick with mud.

Sakura sat on a bench and gently rubbed her belly in a soothing manner. She put her head into her hands and sighed.

"There's actually something I have to tell you too..." She trailed off and gazed at the pond.

"What's up?"

"The reason I've been so avid about finding Sasuke-kun recently... Is because... I'm... pregnant. With Sasuke's baby."

I froze.

How was I suppose to react to that?

I've liked Sakura since I met her, and that ass can just try and kill her, and he still gets to fuck her?!

I lowered my head so she couldn't see my face. She wasn't looking anyways.

Why would she like me? I'm dying...

Who would like a ticking time bomb?

"I see..."

Good for her... Jolly fucking good for her.

I faked a smile, and looked up at her expectant green eyes.

"Congratulations!" She smiled and patted her tummy.

Sasuke's baby... Not mine...

"I haven't told anyone else yet. I figured I'd tell Sasuke first, then you and Kakashi-sensei, but I can't find him."

She turned towards the lake again with a relieved expression.

She deserves to be happy... I'm just being selfish.

I looked up at the sky and watched the white clouds. In my peripheral vision, Sakura rose.

"I better take you back to the hospital, it's chilly!"

She started to wheel me back to the hospital and talked frequently and excitedly about what she'll name Sasuke's baby, and when she's going to start designing the room.

* * *

Back in my hospital room, I rested facing away from the door on my bed.

I peered out my window and watched the blue sky and white clouds.

"Naruto-san, you have a visitor." Someone entered the room and the nurse shut the door behind them.

"Naruto." A bored voice called for me and I sat up while turning to face him.

Shikamaru...

"Shikamaru... It raining pretty hard, isn't it...?" He looked confused.

"Huh? It's not- Oh..." He looked down. Salty water was running down my cheeks in a constant flow. "It is..."

He sat in the stool besides my bed and I laid back down on my bed, but I was facing the pineapple-haired ninja.

"Do you want to play chess?" I looked at the set up board.

"Sure... I'll be black."

* * *

Sakura's visits are a little more lengthy now that I know about her pregnancy.

"What do you think? If it's a girl should we name her 'Sarada' or 'Emi'? No- wait 'Sarada' is just precious!" I just leaned on my bedpost in deep thought.

"Naruto? Are you even listening?!" I rubbed the back of my head apologetically.

"Sorry Sakura! I just spaced out for a second."

"So anyways, if it's a boy I think he should be called 'Kosuke' or 'Sachihiro', what do you think?"

"Sachihiro." I answered simply. She squealed in excitement.

"I thought so too!"

"Sakura-san, the visiting hours are over." a nurse poked her head in the door.

"Already?" She stood up and grabbed her jacket and scarf. "Time really flies..." She gave me a quick hug and my heart lurched painfully, not physically but emotionally. "I'll be back in two days since I have some planning to do."

"Bye Sakura." I gave her an awkward smile and wave while she shut the door behind herself. I let my arm fall limp and the smile drop from my face.

* * *

Early the next day, a raven-haired man knocked his knuckles on my window, successfully waking me from my slumber.

"Sasuke...?" I shakily stood and walked to the window. After a few unsuccessful attempts, I managed to pry open the window.

"Dobe." I gave him a glare.

"What do you want teme?" I sneered. "Are you here to talk about your new baby coming up?"

"What are you talking about dobe? I just got back from a mission." My blue eyes widened. He doesn't know?

"You didn't hear?" He gritted his teeth.

"If I heard, I wouldn't have asked."

"Ask Sakura." I turned around quickly, planning to stalk off to my bed angrily, but I nearly fell in the process but ended up being caught by Sasuke.

"Wait a second..." He was still supporting me as I caught my footing. "Are you trying to say that... Sakura's pregnant?!" His cool facade seemed to crumble and he ran his hand through his hair.

I walked to my bed and sat down. He paced my room and eventually slammed his fist down onto the foldable table that had the chess board Shikamaru had gotten for me falling towards the floor. Some of the pieces cracked, and others shattered completely.

"Why her?" I heard him mutter under his breath and I shot out of bed slamming him against the wall by his collar.

"Do you realize how lucky you are?! I wish I was in your situation right now!"

"Naruto-"

"You don't deserve her!"

"Naruto-!"

Shut up-!" I started to cough and I fell down towards the ground, still clutching the fabric of Sasuke's T-shirt. I didn't cover my mouth in time, so the blood caked the floor making a decent sized puddle.

Some of the iron scented fluid dribbled down my chin and I attempted to wipe it away, succeeding to smear it all over my face.

My eyes filled with tears and some trailed down my face and mixed with my blood on the white tiled floor.

I glared up at him.

"You don't deserve her you... you BASTARD!" I coughed harder and threw up some blood. My heart lurched and I started ripping at the fabric of my hospital shirt. It burned and beat in an irregular way and I collapsed onto the tiled floor unconscious.

In the blackness, I could hear Sasuke yelling out to the nurses with a panicked voice, after that it was as if water had filled my ears. All the voices were distorted and indistinguishable.

* * *

When I opened my eyes again, my vision was blurred and my body felt numb. I couldn't move my head, but I could make of a blond haired women in green... with ginormous boobs...

Tsunade-baa-chan? What's she doing here? The last I remember, I was arguing with Sasuke, and then- oh...

I must have passed out.

I could also make out a women with brown hair and some... pink animal of some sorts in her possession.

That must by Shizune and Tonton...

How long have I been out?

"Tsunade-baa-chan?" My voice cracked noticeably. She turned quickly and rushed over to me.

"How are you feeling?" I smiled slightly and my lips felt dry and cracked.

"Thirsty, and numb." She lifted my head slightly and tipped the cup so I could drink some of the water.

"The medicine should wear off in a couple of hours, until then you won't be able to move. Honesty, I'm surprised your awake. Most people would be out for another day or two."

"It-" I licked my lips. "must be Kurama..." Speaking of that fox, where has he been?

Tsunade jotted something down on her clip board. "That makes sense, get some sleep." she gestured Shizune to follow her out of the room, and they closed the door behind herself.

Kurama... My eyes felt heavy and I closed them.

* * *

 _My eyes opened again to a dripping wet, dimly lit chamber. A few dozen meters ahead if me, a large bony fox rested._

 _"Kurama?" His normal thick, bright orange fur was falling out, and his rib cage was showing through his skin. His eye cracked open._

 _"Kit?" He tried to lift his head, but he was too weak._

 _"What happened?!" Kurama snorted and twitched one of his nine tails._

 _"To hell if I know..." I approached him and brushed my hands against his coarse fur. Up close, the bones and bald spots were more prominent. "This is pathetic... Me, the mighty Nine Tailed Fox, reduced to this pathetic state..." He chuckled._

 _"This isn't funny." He stopped chortling and sighed._

 _"I'm well aware, Kit." Kurama's ears perked up slightly. "It was nice seeing you, it's time to wake up it seems."_

 _"Wait! I have a few more questions!" He just barked out a laugh and my vision blackened again._

* * *

My eyes opened and I discovered the close proximity of a pale-eyed female. Her face flushed and she backed up quickly.

"I-I wa-s just seeing if you were a-awake is all!" I nodded and put my arm over my eyes. The bright white light was giving me a headache...

"What brings you to the neighborhood Hinata-chan?" Her face turned a brighter shade of crimson and she turned away from me. "Do you have a fever or something?"

"N-no, I was just checking to s-see if your okay... I heard y-you passed out..." I gripped my blankets so tightly my knuckles turned white.

"Where is that Sasuke-teme?!" A scowl appeared on my face and I held my fist up. "I outta punch him!"

"Calm down, your not punching anyone anytime soon." Satou walked in with his usual bag of medication. I rolled my eyed and glared at the tubes sticking in my arm and the ones that were hooked to my heart.

"How long have I been out?"

"Only Four days, most patients are out for at least another week after they've had a heart attack."

I cocked my eyebrow.

"Heart attack?" I stared at my shaking hands.

"Naruto-kun?" I came out of my daze and focused on the Hyuga.

"Hmm?" Satou sighed and opened his bag.

"Time for your injections." I rolled my eyes.

"Oh joy!" He disinfected my shoulder and expertly inserted the needle that was filled with a light blue liquid.

"Go back to sleep, Naruto. You must be exhausted." I grumbled slightly, but I obeyed and laid back down onto the mattress.

* * *

 _XxXWeAsHumanXxX: Thanks for reading!_


	4. Chapter 2

_XxXWeAsHumanXxX: Welcome to Chapter 2! I do not own Naruto, and thanks for reading! If you see any mistakes, let me know!_

 _Ich putte gern meine Katze! Deutsch ist ganz toll!_

* * *

Naruto's POV:

My eyes cracked open slightly. Outside, the sky was a dark and the stars tinkled slightly. The light in my room was dimmed slightly so I could rest comfortably. I looked at a package that rested on my bedside table and picked it up carefully and peeled the wrapping off.

What first caught my eye was a note addressed to 'Dobe'. I immediately crumbled the note and threw it into the waste bin. Is he trying to apologize?

Sighing, I stood and carefully walked to the trash can. I unwrinkled the note, and it read:

* * *

 _Dobe,_

 _I was going I give you this myself, but I'm banned from seeing you due to your outburst, so I had Sakura give this to you._

 _The mission I was assigned to by the Hokage was to obtain a special herb that only grew in the Cloud Village. This herb is used to treat people with illnesses like yours and extend the little amount of time they have left. Inside the package is the herbs that we collected._

 _About Sakura and I, I didn't expect for that to happen. Though I may not like it, I have to take responsibility._

 _I gritted my teeth. That bastard. I continued reading the letter._

 _She might not be the ideal woman, but the strings are tied and there's no going back now._

 _It was a moment of weakness in my part. I was feeling lonely and she was just there._

 _You'd probably make a much better father than I, but you won't be around that much longer._

 _If they let me visit, I will. But until then, goodbye._

 _Sasuke Uchiha_

* * *

Are you kidding me? I skimmed over the letter again. I ripped the letter into pieces and tossed them aside. They fluttered slowly to the ground like small snow flakes. I blinked an looked around my room.

In the corner there was dozens of presents and balloons. On the wall, the calendar read 'October 15th'. I laughed lightly. I'm 18 now... and I slept through my birthday. Tears sprung from my eyes and dripped into the tiles.

I shakily walked to the pile of gifts and crouched besides them.

Inside the first gift, there was a new ninja headband. I tossed it to the side. That's not going to be of much use anymore.

In the next present, there was a knitted red scarf. It looked handmade. The individual knits were somewhat skewed to the right.

Inside the other presents, there was a green jumpsuit, some vitamins, chakra pills, a new frog wallet-mine was getting worn out-, some new sandals, and another jumpsuit, but this one had 'THE POWER OF YOUTH' stitched into the front of the green spandex.

I smiled slightly and put the gifts into a neat pile, save for the headband that laid in the middle of the floor untouched. I picked it up and brushed my fingers over the leaf symbol, tracing it, and tossed it into the trash.

I have no need for it anymore.

* * *

Konohamaru burst into my hospital room with a look of disbelief etched into his youthful face. A nurse had a frustrated expression.

"Visiting hours are closed after six!" He ignored her and trained his brown orbs into my blue ones.

"You dying?" His weak voice broke the chaotic nurses scolding and she silenced.

"I'll leave you two be for five minutes, but no more than that!" Her eyes held sympathy as she briefly gazed at me while she shut the door behind her.

I looked away from Konahamaru's teary gaze and focused on my white bed sheets.

"I just got back from a mission-" He sniffled. "A-and I heard some of the villagers talking about... about your illness." I stayed silent. "It-It isn't fair!" He suddenly yelled causing my to look at him and my heart ached painfully. he rubbed some tears from his eyes.

"Konahamaru..."

"W-we're supposed to be competing for the title of Hokage!"

"Konohamaru, I can't..."

"You never give up!" He screeched while more tears pooled down his cheeks. "That's your ninja way!"

"That was my ninja way." He stared at me in disbelief.

"T-this isn't you. My Boss would never give up... No matter what!" I stood angrily and almost tipped over.

"I can't!" He looked like he was going to interrupt, but I cut him off. "Look at me! I can't even form a simple shadow clone anymore! My-" my voice cracked. " My legs can barely support me anymore!"

"But-" I took a deep breath and collapsed onto my bed.

"What am I suppose to do?" I whispered to him.

He was silent.

"Boys, five minutes are up." Konohamaru looked as if he wanted to say something, but he kept his mouth shut as he was escorted out by the nurse.

Satou walked in and sat in the stool besides me.

"Sit up." I did as instructed, and he pushed cold metal of the stethoscope against my inner elbow (What is that called?). He whistled. "What's got you so worked up?" I gave him a blank look and he just sighed and applied disinfectant to my bicep. Satou inserted the needle and placed a bandage onto the puncture sight. He stood and left the room without another word.

I sagged into my hard pillow and looked outside at the setting sun. Slowly, my eyes closed and I drifted off into a light slumber.

* * *

The individual blades of grass under my feet tickled slightly as I slowly stumbled along the dirt path.

I chuckled lowly. Those stupid nurses will never find me here. The terrain smeared mud against my pale, bony feet, leaving a dark contrast.

The early morning sun was steadily rising above the hill of children's park I was currently inhabiting. A spare squirrel or two would scamper against the muddy terrain and gracefully leap from tree to tree.

The birds chirped a peaceful tune as they awoke from their slumber and stretched their wings to take flight.

I leaned against the rough back of a tree, the sun gently shining against my cheeks. The orange sky contrasted with the dark night that was currently retreating.

I twirled a blade of grass in my fingertips and smiled at the sheer simplicity in this situation.

"Heh. Stupid Satou and those nurses are probably looking for me right now..." I folded my hands behind my head.

The wind softly brushed my face and caused the trees to sway softly.

"Oi, Naruto-baka..." I looked up to the masculine voice.

He walk slowly up to me, his white furred companion trailing close behind him. His wild brown hair swayed along with the wind and his face stretched into a wide grin.

"What're you doing here Kiba?" He stopped a few meters in front of me.

"I'm part of the tracker nin assigned to find your rebellious ass." I grumbled lowly.

"I thought it would've taken you awhile longer to find me..."

"Not with Akamaru and I. We can smell you a mile away!"

Dammit... I crossed my arms stubbornly.

"I don't want to go back yet." Kiba rolled his brown eyes.

"I know you don't, but you have to." I gritted my teeth

"I hate being in that hospital! I understand that I'm dying and I have to be hospitalized,, but why do I have to be cooped up in that damn place until I kick the bucket?" I dug my fingers into the mud.

"You don't have a choice..." I growled.

"What am I?! Some animal that you all can keep confined!?" Kiba's face contorted from a relaxed and peaceful expression into an angry and hurt one.

"Why would you think that?! We're just trying to keep you safe."

"Well Stop." I stood quickly and my knees shook, and I struggled to walk away with whatever dignity I had left.

"Naruto..." I felt a sharp stinging sensation in my neck. "I'm sorry it had to come to this." He returned the syringe to his pouch and picked me up. I struggled to keep consciousness.

The last thing I remember is the bird overhead, singing a mournful tune as it soared overhead.

* * *

My eyes peeled open after much difficulty and I peered at my hospital room. I attempted to sit up, but found that I was unable. On my wrists and ankles there were buckled straps securing me to the bed.

Out of my blurry vision, I could see Satou jotting down something on his clipboard and I tried to blink away the fogginess, but to no avail.

Satou noticed my awakening and he pressed his lips into a thin line.

"You should be able to think and see more clearly in a few hours or so..."

I turned my attention to the bright overhead lights above me. The brightness of them blinded me slightly and I clenched my eye lids shut.

"Go back to sleep." Though I didn't want to sleep, it seemed as though an alien force propelled me into unconsciousness.

* * *

The next time I awoke, I found Tsunade-baa-chan and Shizune besides my bed. They were talking, and were completely unaware of my awakening.

"That fool..." Tsunade took a swig of her sake. Shizune 'tsked' lowly and grabbed the bottle.

"No drinking right now." She chastised Tsunade as if she was a child. The blond woman pouted, but otherwise let it go.

"Naruto... Is such an idiot sometimes." She sat in the stool besides my bed and put her head into her hands. Shizune fiddled with the hem of her skirt silently.

"What did I do?" The Hokage jumped in surprise and turned to face me. She had a saddened look in her brown eyes.

"Naruto, some results came in." I attempted to sit up, but I was still strapped to the bed. "Oh, sorry..." She unbuckled the straps and I massaged my sore wrists after I sat up.

"What did you find?" I wasn't even sure I wanted I know.

"We roughly determined how much time you have left..." I stayed silent and gave her my full attention. "Your illness is progressing at a much faster pace than anything I've seen before. Most of the patients with a terminal illness last up to a year, or close to that." She adjusted her position to a more comfortable one.

"..." I clenched my fist tightly making my knuckles turn white.

"You have around five months left at the most. There's only a 1.7% chance of you surviving for six months."

Shizune bent her head and stared at the floor and followed Tsunade out of my room without another word.

My fist clenched tighter and I slammed it onto my mattress.

"Dammit!" A few tears ran down my face. It's not fair... I was suppose to prove everyone wrong and become Hokage. To gain everyone's recognition and approval.

Yet here I am. Sitting in a hospital. I'm as threatening as a butterfly. I hastily wiped the tears off my face and picked up the scarf from my bedside table. I wrapped the scarf around my neck.

The red wool scratched against my neck and irritated my skin. The crimson of it contrasted greatly with my pale skin.

I sunk into my pillow and sulked.

* * *

 _In the academy building's classroom, Sakura, Sasuke, and I were to wait for our Sensei. Every other freshly graduated Genin's Sensei had already arrived._

 _Sasuke was currently sitting in the first row of one of the desks with a blank expression on his face._

 _Sakura was standing a little ways away from the bastard Uchiha. She kept glancing at him occasionally and giggled some too._

 _I growled lowly and grabbed the chalkboard eraser and situated a chair next to the door. Standing on the chair, I carefully wedged the eraser in between the sliding door and the wall._

 _"That's what you get for being so late!" I chuckled childishly and stepped off the stool, and returned the chair to it's rightful position._

 _"Geez..." Sakura muttered. "I'm not involved." I glanced at her, slightly hurt, and noticed the smile she was trying to repress._

 _"Pft." Sasuke began behind his interlaced hands. His eyes looked from me to my trap boredly. "Like a Jounin would fall for such a simple booby trap..."_

 _A few moments after that statement, a hand with black fingerless gloves pushed the door open. He stuck his head in and the chalkboard eraser fell right into his messy mop of grey hair._

 _I burst into a fit of laughter and held my stomach. "You fell for it!"_

 _"I'm sorry Sensei, I tried to stop him, but Naruto..."_

 _Sasuke slouched forwards slightly from disappointment._

 _"How can I say this...?" He stroked his imaginary beard in a thoughtful manner. "My first impression is..."_

 _The three of us turned our attention to our Jounin Sensei._

 _"I don't like you guys." We fell into a semi-depressed silence. So much for a good impression._

 _The Jounin clapped his gloved hands._

 _"We'll meet on the roof for introductions." He formed some hand signs and disappeared into a puff of smoke._

 _The sky was a light blue and some white clouds passed peacefully overhead._

 _The male Jounin leaned against the railing of the roof and had a bored expression etched onto his face, well, the visible portion of his face._

 _"Okay, Let's begin with some introductions."_

 _"What do you want to know?" Sakura said from Sasuke's opposite side._

 _"How about your likes, dislikes, dreams for the future, hobbies... Stuff like that."_

 _"Hey, hey! Why don't you introduce yourself to us first?!"_

 _"Yeah, you look suspicious." The Jounin pointed a finger to himself._

 _"Oh... Me? My name is Hatake Kakashi. I have no desire to tell you guys about my likes and dislikes. Dreams for the future...? Hmm... Well I have lots of hobbies..."_

 _We sweat-dropped._

 _"So all we learned..." Sakura said. "Was his name?"_

 _"Now it's your turn, from the right." I grinned widely and adjusted my headband unconsciously as I spoke._

 _"Me, me! My name is Uzumakii Naruto! I like cup ramen. What I like even more is the restaurant ramen Iruka-Sensei buys me._

 _"What I dislike is waiting three minutes for the cup ramen to cook._

 _"My dream..." I took a deep breath. "Is to surpass the Hokage! And for all the people in this village to acknowledge my existence!"_

 _Kakashi-Sensei's eyes widened slightly, but he quickly returned to the bored stare he had earlier._

 _"Hobbies... Pranks I guess." The Jounin scratched the back of his head._

 _"I see... Next." Sasuke glared at nothing and leaned his usual position: Elbows on his knees with his fingers interlaced, blocking most of his face from view. I seriously don't see what Sakura-chan sees in this moody bastard._

 _"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. There are tons of things I dislike but I don't really like anything. And... I don't want to use the word 'dream', but... I have an ambition. The resurrection of my clan, and...to kill a certain man."_

 _The wind rushed by ominously an I leaned back, a dribble of sweat rolling down my hairline. I hope he didn't mean me..._

 _"Okay. And lastly, the girl." Sakura blushed and shifted slightly from side to side with her arms pressed against her chest._

 _"I'm Haruno Sakura, the thing I like is... Well the person I like is..." She giggled and gazed dreamily at the emo prick. "Um... Should I say dream for the future...? Oh my!" She squealed and covered her face from view with her clenched fist. Her happy persona dropped, and she lowered her fist. "The thing I dislike... Is Naruto."_

 _I fell from the steps with anime tears dripping down my cheeks._

 _"My hobby is..." She blushed more and dreamily looked at the raven once more. (Geez... Why don't you spell it out to him? 'I wanna rape Sasquey-kun~~~~~~~~')_

 _"That's enough of that. We will start out duties tomorrow." I cheered._

 _"What kinds of duties?! Duties, duties!"_

 _"First," He crossed his arms over his chest. "we're going to do something with just the four of us."_

 _"What, what?!" The three of us leaned closer to him slightly, eager to hear our first mission._

 _"Survival training."_

 _"Survival training?" Sasuke stayed silent, but had a slightly annoyed look cross his face for a moment._

 _"Why is out duty training? We did enough training at the Ninja Academy."_

 _"I'm your opponent, but this isn't normal training..."_

 _"Then! Then! What is it?!"_

 _Our new Sensei suddenly lowered his head and laughed._

 _"Hey! What's so funny Sensei?" Sakura pressed nervously._

 _"No... Well... It's just that... When I tell you this, you guys are definitely going to flip."_

 _"Flip?" I questioned._

 _"Of the twenty-seven graduates, only nine will be chosen as Genin. The rest will be sent back to the Academy. This training is a super difficult exam with a failure rate of over sixty-six percent!"_

 _"Ehhhh?!" Sakura and I uttered in unison._

 _He laughed again._

 _"I told you you'd flip."_

 _"What the hell?! But we worked so hard... Then what was the point of graduating?!"_

 _"Oh, that? That's just to select those that have the chance to become Genin."_

 _"Uhh! What?!"_

 _"Anyway, tomorrow you will be graded on the training field. Bring all your Shinobi tools." I was still simmering. "Oh, and skip breakfast, you'll throw up."_

 _I was shaking with nerves. I can't fail here! I'll have to kick Kakashi-Sensei's ass and have him recognize my strength! No, no seriously!_

 _"The details can be read in this printout. Don't be late tomorrow." Sasuke and I reached for the papers while Sakura whined in nervousness._

 _"Ehh?! Throw up? Is is that tough?!" Sakura squeeled in nervousness._

 _I peered at the paper. There's too much Kanji!_

 _We arrived at exactly six in the morning, just as the printout instructed. Our stomachs were empty, and mine was already growling._

 _Yet Kakashi-Sensei is no where in sight._

 _As time passed, the sun steadily rose to around midpoint in the sky, and the birds and other animals where lively and gathering food._

 _A few squirrels scampered in front of us, and I considered cooking it over a bonfire._

 _A familiar puff of smoke brought out attention forward and a Jounin waved with a closed-eye smile._

 _"Your late!" Sakura and I hollered._

 _"Good morning."_

 _The trees shook with the wind, and our Sensei set an alarm clock on the top o one of the wooden stumps._

 _"Okay, it's set for noon." He took two bells out of his pocket. "Here are two bells. Your task is to take these from me before noon. Those who cannot get a bell before noon... get no lunch._

 _"I'll not only tie you to one of those stumps, but I'll eat right in front of you."_

 _Dammit. That's why he told us not to eat... My stomach growled lowly and I clutched the orange fabric of my jacket._

 _"You only need to get one bell. There are only two, so one of you will definitely be tied to a stump." He shook the bells. "And... The person who doesn't take a bell fails. So at least one of you will be sent back to the Academy._

 _I gulped and clenched my fist. I have to get a bell._

 _"You can even use your Shuriken. You won't succeed unless you come at me intending to kill me." He clenched the bells into his fist._

 _"But... You'll be in danger!"_

 _"Yeah, your so slow you can't even dodge a blackboard eraser! We'll kill you!" I put my hands behind my head smugly._

 _"In the real world, those with no talent often bark the loudest. Well, ignore Mr. Dead Last and start when I say..."_

 _Dead Last, Dead last, Dead Last!? My eye twitched and I pulled a Kunai out of my weapon pouch, twirling the handle on my middle finger before I gripped the weapon tightly. I charged at the Jounin, but before I hit him, he disappeared behind me and twisted my hand that held my Kunai behind my head._

 _"Slow down... I haven't said 'start' yet." He paused for a moment. "Well, it seems like you're prepared to come at me with the intention to kill. So you've finally acknowledged me?_

 _"Hehe... It seems like... I'm beginning to like you guys._

 _"Okay, let's get going. Ready..._

 _"Start!"_

* * *

Konohamaru had visited again. Actually, he's been visiting consistently for the past three weeks on fridays.

Usually when he visits, he tells me stories about his missions, or new techniques he's learned. Konohamaru is a Jounin now, meaning he can go on C, B, and low class A rank missions.

"The mission I was just on was to protect a merchant from enemy nin or thugs while he was traveling to the land of Lightning.

"We encountered a whole group of Rouge nin, low level Chunin I believe.

"Udon guarded the merchant, while Moegi and I fought the Rouges." He used lots of hand gestures while he told his tale.

"I took down four or five in one hit with my Rasengan, and Moegi took down some with her ground style, mud slide! (Im just making Moegi's shit up, okay)

"After that. we didn't really run into anyone else, and we completed our mission!"

A nurse poked his head in the door.

"Five more minutes."

Konohamaru stood and stretched his back, making it crack and pop in certain places.

"I'll see you next Friday." I gave him a small smile with my chapped lips.

"See you."

Honestly, I live for everyone's visits. If they didn't come by, I'd probably die of boredom. I relaxed into my covers, and smiled lightly. Tomorrow, I was allowed to go to the park with Ms. Judy, one of the nurses.

Satou walked in and gave me my prescription, and my shots. On his way out, he dimmed the lights and instructed me to get some rest.

* * *

 _XxXWeAsHumanXxX: Damn you log..._


	5. Chapter 3

_XxXWeAsHumanXxX: I guess I'm going to do Canon pairings for this story, unless anyone wants Naru-chan to be with someone else... *wink wink*_

 _See any mistakes? Tell meh!_

* * *

Sakura's POV:

It's nearly December now. All the leaves have changed into various shades of red, orange, and yellow. Every time I exhale, the air comes out as white puffs.

Many children with their parents were out in the streets, talking and shopping happily. A little girl to my left's cheeks were a rosy shade of red and was rubbing her arms due to the cold.

Sasuke walked besides me as we made our way down the dirt path. His navy blue scarf was pulled over his nose in an attempt to shield it from the frigid air.

"I hate the cold..." He grumbled in a monotonous voice. I sighed dreamily at the thought that his baby was mine.

A same little girl with crimson cheeks tripped over her scarf and cried loudly into the frosty air. Her father scooped her up delicately and kissed her forehead while murmuring soothing words to the tot. Eventually, she stopped wailing and gave a toothy smile to her father while she played with his gold locks.

Sasuke payed the pair no mind and sauntered ahead of me with a blank expression plastered onto his perfect face. I fingered a wisp of my pink locks in between my thumb and pointer finger absent mindingly while I thought about how we should decorate the room.

"Sasuke-kun?" He turned slightly towards me as he walked.

"Hn?"

"How..." My cheeks reddened slightly. "How should we decorate his room?" He looked forward again and his shoulders slumped slightly.

"It's too soon to think of things like that." My face displayed my slight disappointment, but I knew what he said was true, I was only three months in.

We've been fighting lately over if he should become a ninja or not.

I personally don't want to send my baby into that... Sasuke wants nothing more than to train him into a strong ninja, capable of proving the Uchiha clan's worth.

Many villagers were wary of Sasuke. They have every right to be. He went rouge after all.

Ever since he's returned, many people walk circles around him, and glance at him wearily. The council has been discussing what they should do with him.

Some argue that he will drive this village to its ruin, while some believe that he will be a great asset to us.

Many of the people here are also worried about me- well not me specifically, but Sasuke's offspring.

They felt that the Uchiha clan should die out. They're deathly afraid of Sasuke revolting since Naruto can't defend the village anymore.

Naruto...

The council has been discussing Naruto's fate as well.

They believe that when he dies, the Kyuubi will emerge and destroy the village again, so they want to end him quickly.

That's one of the reasons Naruto isn't to leave his hospital room... People may feel the need to... Take care of him...

Sasuke waved his hand in front of my face. I smiled sheepishly as a blush shone furiously on my cheeks.

"Eh... Sorry Sasuke-kun... I was just thinking." My smile dropped slightly and I gently traced circles on my slightly protruding stomach.

"Hn... Let's just finish shopping. I have training to do." My frown deepened slightly, but I converted it to a smile.

"Yeah..."

* * *

Tsunade's POV:

I rubbed my temples irritably and took a swig of my sake. The lights in my office were off and my head was throbbing. The damn council gives me a headache.

They want to execute both Naruto and Sasuke. At the meetings, I try to convince the damn fools that they're not dangerous, Naruto anyways. Sasuke... I'm not sure about.

Naruto is the one who wanted Sasuke to have another chance. He said Sasuke was so focused on revenge that he couldn't think straight. Naruto was practically on his knees, begging me to give him a second chance.

* * *

 _Through the one-way glass, I could see a black haired boy chained to the prison wall with a cloth covering his eyes._

 _"Tsunade-sama..." I peered over at the stone door that was slightly propped open. A man, around thirty years if age, was bowing to me respectively._

 _"What is it?" He rose from his bow and politely continued._

 _"It's Naruto. He wishes to speak with you." I took a quick gulp of my sake and slouched my shoulders slightly._

 _"Let him in."_

 _A blond teen with bright blue eyes walked in with a determined look in his eyes. I sat in an uncomfortable bench and leaned my elbows on my knees with my sake bottle dangling carelessly in my palms._

 _"Tsunade-baa-chan..." He glanced at the blindfolded Uchiha and clenched his fists._

 _"What is it Naruto?"_

 _"I came to ask..." I openly gaped at his formality. Is... Is this really Naruto?! He knelt on one knee and bowed his head respectively. "If you could give Sasuke-teme another chance."_

 _"It's not just my decision, Naruto." He punched the floor lightly._

 _"It's not his fault... I mean- It is his fault for going rouge, but the elders were the ones that ordered the Uchiha clan to be massacred."_

 _"While that may be true, he is still a threat to the village." Naruto looked me in the eye._

 _"I'll keep him in line." I closed my eyes and set my bottle of alcohol besides me._

 _"Are you sure? If anything happens to you..."_

 _"Nothing's going to happen to me anytime soon." He smiled cheekily. "I still have to become Hokage!" I rolled my eyes._

 _"I'll see what I can do."_

* * *

Peering at the paperwork that piled high on my desk, I grabbed the one nearest to me and skimmed over it quickly. It was some kind of alliance with this place I've never even heard of... I'll ask Shizune later. I tossed it aside and grabbed the next document.

"This is stupid..." I shoved the pile away from me and leaned back into my chair. Spinning my chair around, I looked outside of the window.

Outside, I could see all the roof tops and autumn trees with their golden leaves. The sun was setting slightly and some children were playing soccer in the park.

One of the kids, a brown haired boy, kicked the ball straight into a tree and it hit him in his stomach. He hunched over, slightly out of breath, before he looked up at the worried gazes of his friends and smiled while scratching the back if his head and rubbing his tummy.

Sighing, I turned away from the window and resumed my paperwork.

The entire time, I couldn't help but compare Naruto to that boy...

* * *

Sasuke's POV:

 _All around me, was a silent blackness. A indistinguishable voice echoed around me suddenly. I strained myself to focus on that voice, and slowly, I was able to make out the words._

 _"Sasuke, wake up!" I forced my eyes open, but quickly closed them. The light was burning brightly. Eventually, I managed to adjust to the lights, and opened my eyes._

 _Bright blue eyes met mine with burning intensity. I jolted back suddenly in surprise._

 _In the background, the walls were a painful shade of bright white, and the floor was tiled. Naruto was leaning on his hospital bed with tubes inserted into his inner elbow. His skin was a pale shade, and sweat decorated his brow._

 _'Naruto.' I attempted to speak, but my voice was inaudible. His head cocked sideways in confusion._

 _"Teme?" His face contorted into a painful grimace, and he clutched his white tee. Naruro coughed and bright crimson sprayed onto my face._

 _I stood up and attempted to shout to the nurses, but I still couldn't speak. Glancing back at Naruto, I saw him twisting on the bed._

 _"Sa-suke..." I rushed to his bedside and gripped his shoulder, shaking it slightly. My lips moved in unspoken words, and the blond boy's lips were slowly turning blue._

 _Naruto suddenly shoved me backwards, and I felt myself slipping through the floor._

 _I snapped my eyes open once more, and I felt rain bouncing off of me in a continuous rhythm._

 _To my right, I saw Sakura dressed in a tight black dress. Her shoulders were shaking rapidly from her heavy sobs._

 _I turned forward and saw a casket. On top of the casket, there was a photo of a blond haired ninja with 'Naruto Uzumaki' carved intricately into the silver plaque._

 _In front of me, I saw my elder brother, father, and mother. I reached my hand forward and tried to speak again to no avail. My hand had a youthful look to them._

 _Turning to my right, Sakura was still sobbing, but she had on a black frilly dress and a red ribbon adorning her hair. She looked to be around nine years old._

 _Itachi knelt in front of me._

 _"Silly brother." He poked my forehead and my surroundings changed once again._

 _Stumbling backwards, I fell onto the wet gravel. I brought my hands up and noticed the blood that coated my palm._

 _Itachi was in front of me, with a slightly younger appearance as well. He was gripping a bloodied sword, and my parents lay slaughtered besides him._

 _He turned to my and gave me a level gaze._

 _My teeth gritted, and I tried to scream that I knew the truth. That the elders pushed him into this, but I couldn't speak yet again._

 _"Little brother." No... Tears pulled down my cheeks silently. "You're too weak. You lack hatred." He paced toward me and aimed his katana at my throat._

 _"Build your hatred, and one day... Fight me." His figure burst into hundreds of crows. As they flew past me, they nipped lightly at my skin leaving gashes that leaked more blood and mingled with the crimson that soaked the concrete._

 _One of the crows knocked me back, and I fell into the pool of blood._

* * *

My eyes snapped open, and I clutched the fabric of my tee while breathing heavily.

"It was just a dream..." I murmured quietly.

Sakura shuffled slightly in her sleep besides me and mumbled a few incoherent streams of words.

I leaned back into the mattress and shut my eyelids tightly.

"It was just a dream..."

* * *

Sakura's POV

I washed my hands in the hospital bathroom, and began to walk back to Naruto's room.

Dozens of nurses were surrounding his door, and I struggled to pass them. When I finally could peer into the door, I saw Naruto standing and a women, who appeared to be in her early fifties and had greying hair, holding a kitchen knife to the blond's neck.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, and her hands were shaking. The nurses closest to her held up her hands in a peaceful manner, but the nurse had a slightly panicked look in her eyes.

"M-miss? I know you don't want to do this..." The women shook her head violently.

"Shut up! All of y'all!" She held the knife a little more firmly. "I'm doin' all y'all a favor!"

Below her, Naruto had a slightly confused, slightly irritated look on his face. His bony arms were confined behind his torso by the women, and he was gritting his teeth.

The nurse took a small, hesitant step forward.

"You don't want to do this! No one wants this!" She took another step, "I know that you're scared... We can help you!"

The woman sneered and more tears rolled down her cheeks, splattering onto Naruto's shoulder.

"This monster killed my husband!" She smiled a little. "I've been plannin' on doin' this for a while now..." She pressed the knife slightly, and a small stream of blood trailed from the fresh wound. "And now... I can finally get my revenge!"

* * *

Naruto's POV (FLASHBACK)

 _Sakura gave me an embarrassed look._

 _"I have to use the restroom..." I rolled my eyes._

 _"Again?" She pouted slightly and stood from the stool slowly, careful not harm her protruding stomach._

 _"It's not my fault, blame Saskue-Junior." She paused by the door. "I'll be back soon." I nodded and shooed her away._

 _"Yeah, yeah." Sakura shut the door behind herself, and I leaned back into my pillow._

 _In the hallway, I heard lots of shouts and stuff breaking. I rose from my bed curiously and approached the door._

 _Before I could open the door, it shot open and slammed into the wall._

 _In the entrance way, a women with graying hair and a crazed look in her eyes stood, panting heavily. She took hold of my wrists and twisted them behind my back while simultaneously holding a kitchen knife to my throat._

 _"Move, and I won't hesitate to kill you."_

 _The nurses started crowding the door._

 _"Get back! I'll kill 'im!" They reluctantly retreated, but didn't leave the vicinity._

 _The women was shaking and her tears cascaded down her swelled eyes and onto my shoulder._

 _"I'll kill you, you monster!" She whispered to me, causing me to shiver and relive some painful memories. I haven't been called a 'monster' in quite a while._

 _One of the nurses took a slow step forward with her hands up in surrender._

 _"M-miss? I know you don't want to do this." The woman shook her head furiously._

 _"Shut up! All of y'all! Her hands stopped shaking and she pressed the blade more firmly to my skin, but not enough to draw blood. "I'm doin' y'all a favor!"_

 _What does she want from me?_

 _"You don't want to do this! No one wants this!" The nurse took another hesitant step. "I know that you're scared... We can help you!"_

 _The woman tensed behind me._

 _"This monster killed my husband! I've been plannin' on doin' this for a while now..." She pressed the blade more firmly to my neck, drawing a small stream of blood. I hissed quietly. "And now... I can finally get my revenge!"_

* * *

I squirmed slightly in her hold.

"Don't move! I swear! I'll slice your throat!" I saw a pink head in the crowd. Sakura had a worried look on her face and I gave her a reassuring look.

"Ma'am?" I began carefully and I felt her tense."If you were really planning on killing me... You would've done it when you first came in."

"Shut up! What do ya know?! I've waited eighteen years for this!"

"Ma'am, I'm dying. Don't you realize that?!" Her knife relaxed a little from the shock of my statement.

"What are you talking about?!"

"Three months ago, I was diagnosed with a terminal illness. Do you see that you're just wasting your time!" She shook her head back and forth in a desperate manner.

"N-No! I have'ta finish ya myself!" My brows furrowed. The same nurse that has been attempting to calm the woman, stepped forward with a slightly desperate look in her eyes.

"Ma'am, your husband wouldn't want you to do this. He's want you to move in, be happy!"

Behind me, the window opened quietly, as to not alert the widow. The ninja that crept through the window grabbed the knife from her in one quick swipe.

"Ack-!" She was grabbed from behind and torn away from me, causing me to stumble forward. A doctor, who had jut arrived on the scene, caught me and helped me stand.

"S-stop! You don't understand!" The two Anbu preformed the teleportation justu and disappeared from my room.

Sakura made her way through the crowd and enveloped me into a hug.

"Thank Kami (God) your okay!" I patted her back lightly.

The surplus of nurses and doctors dissipated, and Satou remained. He clapped once to gain our attention.

"Alright. I think that's enough excitement for one day." Sakura nodded and stood while giving me a nervous smile.

"I'll see you tomorrow..." She followed Satou out.

"Bye..."

* * *

A few moments later, Satou returned to sanitize and bandage my neck, while also giving me my medication and injections. He paused near the door and prepared to switch the lights off.

"Goodnight, Naruto-san." I nodded toward him and burrowed into my covers.

"Night, Satou."

* * *

Since the incident three days ago, I've switched rooms sixteen times.

Sixteen. Fucking. Times.

I no longer have the 'privilege' to take strolls in the wheelchair with the nurses. Not even inside the hospital.

My new room had the same tiled floor, but the walls were painted a soft shade of green.

I'm starting to miss my white walls... Even if they were annoying as hell.

I'm only allowed to have visitors from noon to around four in the afternoon, where as before the incident, I could have guest until six.

Today though, there are some special arrangements.

At the moment, it was five-forty-seven. Exactly one hour and forty-seven minutes passed visiting hours.

The sun shone high in the sky, only setting slightly. The clouds were a puffy white, drifting slowly across the blue. The tree's nearly bare branches were swaying slightly in the wind.

A soft, yet attention grabbing, knock erupted from the other side of the metal door

"I'm coming in." A gruff feminine voice resounded through the once silent room.

Tsunade slipped in and shut the door carefully behind her, careful to not bust the hinges off the door frame yet again.

"Naruto." I eyed her brown eyes carefully. I remained silent causing her to sigh.

"You have an important guest that wishes to see you." I nodded, egging her to continue.

"Come in."

•-•

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 **Okay STOP! Guess quickly who it is or the cat dies. *holds chainsaw over the cat***

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A couple of milliseconds later, a man with rose red hair, blue eyes with dark circles lining them, and a Kazekage robe, briskly entered.

"Naruto.." I looked him in the eyes, quickly flickering my eyes I glance momentarily at the kanji for 'Love' on his forehead.

"Gaara..." My blond eyebrows scrunched.

Why would Gaara come to Konoha?

Is it to see me?

No... That's impossible. It's takes two days just to get here. No one would travel that long just to visit me.

Nobody.

"Gaara... What brings you to Konoha?" Tsunade gave Gaara a look and approached the door.

"I'll give you two some time to talk."

Gaara was silent, not bothering to respond as he approached the window, taking in the scenery.

"Naruto..." He turned from the window, slowly approaching me. Gaara stopped at the base of my bed.

"Out with it." I folded my arms over my chest stubbornly.

"You're dying." I rolled my eyes.

"No shit Sherlock. Now what did you reallllly come here for?"

He sighed.

"I guess I should start from the beginning..."

* * *

 _Flashback in Gaara of the funk's POV:_

 _News of Naruto's illness has spread to nearly every corner of the map, save for some of the small, isolated villages._

 _The sun was shielded behind the dense clouds, and the leaves of the trees fell to the damp earth._

 _All the Kage's were to meet in the Land of Fire for an emergency meeting requested from the Hokage._

 _My best Ambu, and my siblings trailed behind me as we traveled at a rather brisk sprint to the meeting point. It took roughly two days to travel._

 _As we arrived, a careless ninja, who was associated with the Hidden Cloud Village, approached us._

 _On instinct, my Ambu guards moved to attack the shinobi, but I hurriedly waved them down. The male collapsed into the ground in relief._

 _Not giving him a second glance, I motioned for us to enter._

 _Inside the building, the walls were built from a strong metal and the floors were marble, they looked as if the have never seen the light of day._

 _In the center of the room, the Kage's sat around the oak table._

 _Onoki, the third Tsuchikage, was absent, and in his place was a young woman. She appeared to be a little older than me._

 _I sat near Tsunade, the fifth Hokage, and the table went silent._

 _The young woman stood and bowed her head._

 _"My name is Kurotsuchi. As of now, I am the new Tsuchikage. Onoki has retired and nominated me to take his place." Kurotsuchi smoothed her robe and returned to her sitting position._

 _"Ha!" A, the fourth Raikage, let out a hearty laugh. "The old fart finally retired, huh?" Kurotsuchi glared at him for a moment._

 _"Don't insult Onoki-San." He laughed again, not bothering to respond further._

 _Tsunade-sama stood and everyone turned silent._

 _"I'm sure that you've heard of Naruto's... Condition."_

 _"Of course we have, what of it?" A interrupted._

 _Tsunade tapped her nails impatiently against the wooden table. A seemed to have received the message and slouched stubbornly in his seat._

 _Tsunade cleared her throat._

 _"As I was saying before I was interrupted..." The Hokage glared at A. "Naruto is dying._

 _"In response to that, we've received information that an unknown group has been assembling members. Our hypothesis is that they believe the Allied Shinobi Nation is weak now that Naruto is out of the picture, and want to overthrow the Hidden Villages."_

 _Everyone, save for myself, burst into discussion._

 _The newly appointed Tsuchikage stood._

 _"Is this for certain, Tsunade-sama?" Tsunade collapsed into her seat and intertwined her fingers and resting her chin._

 _"I'm afraid it is." A stood and slammed his fists into the table, effectively splitting it into pieces. Chunks of wood flew past our faces. A had a look of utter outrage on his face._

 _"I'll teach them to not underestimate us." He cracked his knuckles." Tsunade smirked and crushed the splinter she had caught in her palm earlier._

 _"I couldn't agree more."_

* * *

Naruto's POV

Gaara was staring out the window, giving me time to process what I had just heard. I ruffled my hair a bit.

"What's the point in telling me this Gaara...?" What's his motivation? There has to be one. They didn't even inform me that a war was transpiring, why would they tell me about this organization without a hidden motive in mind...?

"I just though you should know-"

"Bull shit." He looked taken aback.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me." I stood up and approached him carefully. "What's the point in telling me? I can't do anything about them anymore. So what's the point- And cut the bull shit and the babying, I don't need to be coddled." He sighed and his lips spread into a small smile.

He let out a ghost of a laugh.

"There's no getting around you, is there?" He waited for a response from me, but was greeted by a tense silence. Gaara sighed. "Fine. We need information."

My brows furrowed.

"Information?"

"Yes... There's a possibility that this organization consists of members that knew you before..." He trailed off.

"You mean enemies I made before I was diagnosed?"

"Exactly." I scratched the back of my head and I sweat dropped.

"Hehehe... I have a long list..." He had a knowing look on his face.

"Geez Naruto... Knowing you, you made a handful of enemies.." Gaara poked my chest lightly.

"Can you narrow the list down a bit?" I tapped my chin thoughtfully.

"Possibly..." He clapped his hands.

"Great. I'll be back tomorrow at eight in the morning."

"Ehhhhhhhh! That early!" He ignored me and walked out the door while waving, a smug grin plastered on his face.

"Asshole..." I slipped into my bed with a peaceful look ever present on my cheeks.

* * *

 _"What's the distance to the target?" Kakashi's voice rung through my ear piece._

 _"Five meters. I'm ready anytime."_

 _"So am I." Sasuke's voice rang through my ear drums._

 _"Me too." Sakura chimed in after the teme._

 _"Okay!" Our Sensei paused. "Go!" The three of us leapt after the target._

 _I grabbed it from behind._

 _"Got'cha!" The feline screeched and clawed at my face._

 _"Ribbon on the left ear... Are you sure this is the target, Tora?"_

 _"Yeah, we're sure." Sasuke responded to Kakashi-sensei, completely ignoring me, who was being pulverized by the cat._

 _"Good. Lost pet 'Tora' Search mission.. Complete!"_

 _"I hate cats!"_

 _The Fire Country Lord's wife, Madam Shijimi, clutched the evil thing in a death grip._

 _"Ohh, my cute wittle Tora-chan! I was so worried!"_

 _"Gyahahahaha! In your face, you stupid cat."_

 _Madam Shijimi left with the desperate cat in tow._

 _"Now..." The old man began. "Kakashi's team seven, your next duty is... Hmm.. Babysitting an elder's grandson, shopping in the neighboring village, and helping with potato digging."_

 _"NO! NO! NO! No, thank you!" I crossed my arms in an 'X' shape. "I want to do, you know, a more incredible mission! Find us a better one!" I ignored my team's reaction and kept my eyes trained on the Hokage geezer._

 _Iruka stood with a pissed expression clouding his features._

 _"You idiot! You're just a rookie! Everyone starts off with the simple duties and works their way up!" The Hokage sighed and tugged on his hat._

 _"But! But! We keep getting the crappiest possible duties-!" My sensei smacked my head. Hard._

 _"Be quiet you!"_

 _"Naruto... It seems I have to explain to you what these duties are all about._

 _"Listen... Everyday, the village receives numerous requests, from babysitting... To assassinations._

 _"Each request is written down on these lists... and divided into A, B, C, D rankings based on difficulty._

 _"This village is also divided based on skill. Starting with me to the Jounin, Chuunin, and Genin._

 _"The missions are then handed out by us at the top to ninjas based on their abilities. If the duty is completed successfully, we recieve payment from the client._

 _"You guys just recently became Genin. D-rank missions are perfect for you..."_

 _"So last night, I had pork ramen, so miso sounds good for-"_

 _"Hey! LISTEN!"_

 _"Geez! All you do is give lectures like that._

 _"But you know what?! I'm not the trouble making brat you still think I am!"_

 _"I'm going to get yelled at later for this..." Kakashi sighed._

 _The Hokage and Iruka slowly relaxed their shoulders, letting proud looks replace the once serious and annoyed expressions they previously had._

 _"Okay."_

 _"Huh?" I sputtered slightly in surprise._

 _"If you want it that much... I'll give you a C-rank mission. It's the protection of a certain individual-"_

 _"Yay! Who?! Who?! A feudal lord?! A princess?!"_

 _"Calm down, I'm about to introduce him. Hey, will you come in here?"_

 _The door creaked open and I stood in anticipation._

 _"What's this?" An old, drunken mess stumbled into the office. "They're all a bunch of brats." He chugged his alcohol. "Especially.. the shortest one with the stupid looking face. Are you really a Ninja? Hey?!"_

 _"Haha! Who's the shortest one with the stupid face..." My two teammates lined up besides me. An irk mark appeared on my face._

 _"I'll kill you!" I began to charge, but Kakashi grabbed the collar of my jacket._

 _"What's the point of killing the person we're suppose to protect? Idiot." I simmered down, but kept a heated glare at our new client._

 _"I am the expert bridge builder, Tazuna. I expect you to provide me protection until I get back to my country and complete the bridge."_

* * *

My eyes jerked open and I sat from the bed, clutching my shirt. I bit the inside of my cheek and glanced out the window.

The sky was dark, and the moon was partially hidden by the clouds. A light snow fluttered against the earth and a shivering black cat was perched at my window sill.

Standing, I made my way to the window, unlocked it, and tugged it open. The frigid wind swept into my bones and I shivered.

The cat's eyes were glazed slightly and it tried to get away, but it was too weak. I scooped it into my arms and shut the window. Clutching the feline, I wrapped my blanket around it's torso.

Crawling in besides the cat in my bed, I drifted off into sleep once more.

* * *

I was jolted awake by a sharp shaking of my shoulders. When I ripped my eyes open, I saw Gaara and Satou, both had a disapproving look aimed at me, Gaara's was a mix of disapproval and amusement.

"Why is there a feline in this hospital? We have a strict policy against pets." He pointed at the cat, who was licking his back leg on the edge of my bed. He had a bored look on his face. Obviously, he didn't give two fucks about Satou.

"I found him outside on my window sill." Satou looked as if he wanted to say more, but he bit his tongue and approached the door.

"Have that thing out of here before noon." He shut the door softly, yet sharply behind him.

"Naruto... What are we going to do with you." He smiled sweetly.

I leaned back in the mattress and folded my arms above my head with a toothy grin.

"Deal with it." We laughed for a short time, chatting mindlessly about irrelevant topics to get our mind off the present. Though eventually, we'd have to come to terms with reality... Until then, we'll enjoy the last few moments before the inevitable.

* * *

My eyes peeled open from my afternoon nap and met with pale orbs. I jolted away in surprise, the feminine figure doing the same with a bright red face.

"S-sorry, Naruto-kun! I- I was just-!"

"It's okay Hinata-chan! What bring you here?"

"U-um..." She fiddled with her thumbs. "I- I just wanted to visit.." Her voice trailed off and she briefly glance at me before aiming her gaze to the floor. The cat, who was a female that I named Suni, jumped on Hinata's lap. Said female screeched in surprise and fell off the chair. Suni jumped back onto the bed and curled in my lap.

"A-Ah... Naruto-kun, you have a cat?" I smiled down at the kitten and stroked it's fur.

"Well.. She's not mine. I found her last night on the window sill and brought her in." Hinata sat up and pet Suni's head.

"That's so kind of you, Naruto-kun!" She brushed against my hand with the tips of her fingers accidentally. She jerked back with a crimson red face.

"S-Sorry, Naruto-kun!" I waved her off.

"You didn't do anything, so why apologize?" Hinata took a long strand of her purple locks and tucked it behind her ear.

"S-so... How are you feeling, Naruto-kun?" I frowned and gave her a blank look before fixing my face into a pleasant grin that was the complete opposite of what I was feeling.

"I'm doing great, Hinata!" I tried to fix some of my usual spunk in my response. She frowned and curled her hands into fists in her lap.

"Don't lie..." She stood with a start. "The Naruto-kun I know wouldn't act like that!" She breathed rapidly, her cheeks growing brighter every second.

"W... What are you talking about? I'm not lying!" I smiled again, a little awkwardly.

She lunged forward and wrapped her arms around my shoulders.

"Quit lying..." She tightened her grip. "Naruto... You're the one that pushed me to try my best! You're the one that convinced me to not quit when I was knocked down and to try my best! A-and-!" She tensed up, preparing herself for something.

"I... I li- I think you're an amazing person. So... Don't pretend to be okay if you're not. You can always talk to me about it." I gripped her shoulders.

"Hinata..." I pulled her arms length away from me and gave her a reassuring look.

"Really Hinata. I'm fine. Just a bit tired is all."

"You sure?" I nodded and smiled.

"Yeah. I'm sure." She frowned and didn't look convinced, but seemed to let it go.

"Are... Are you going to keep... Suni?"

"I want to, but we're not allowed to have pets in here..." I frowned and Hinata gave me a small, nervous smile.

"I'll... I'll keep him at the Hyuuga compound if you'd like." I gave her a real smile.

"Really?! Thanks Hinata-chan!" She smiled wider and her cheeks heated up again.

"I- It's not a problem, Naruto-kun." I shifted Suni into Hinata's hold and patted her head and nuzzled her chin.

"Did you hear that Suni? You get to go home and out of this hospital!" My smile faltered for a moment before I quickly fixed it into a brighter smile.

"Narut-" Satou barged in and set his medical case on my bedside table.

"Sorry, visiting times over." He sent Suni a nasty look. "You're taking that feline with you, I hope." Hinata nodded respectively and stood.

"Yes..." She turned to me with crimson cheeks. "I- I'll see you tomorrow, Naruto-kun." She blushed brighter "To tell you about Suni, of course!"

"See you." I gave her a shit eating grin and sent Suni a peace sign.

Hinata exited and Satou leaned down to whisper in my ear with a sly look on his face.

"You're..." He crossed his fingers and wiggled his eyebrows.

"N- NO! W-Why would you think that?!" My cheeks burned and Satou backed away with that same sly look.

"Oookkkayyyyyy..." I gritted my teeth in embarrassment. He laughed while shifting through his bag. Satou gave me a bottled water and four pills. One was green with a blue stripe in the center, another was white with two red lines, and the last was two small capsules.

"You know the drill." I rolled my eyes as he rolled up my sleeves.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." He inserted the needle and afterwards, he placed it into a plastic bag.

"Are you sure you're not-"

"One hundred percent!" He waved as he left.

"Sure.. Just make sure to tell me the gossip tomorrow!" He shut the door before I could respond."

"Damn asshole..." I could hear him laughing down the hallway.

* * *

 _XxXWeAsHumanXxX: Okay! Lots of POV changes, sorry, not really... If you have questions or you're confused... Ask, I guess... I don't know if you can on this site, but whatever..._

 _If you can't, Email me here:_

 _thedarkinuyashademon1234_

 _Alrighty! Pie, pie!_


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